So guys, decided to jump back on this topic again. One month later, well 5 weeks to be exact, we'll get to that in a bit. 2nd block of the winter training plan done. It had it ups, a trip to Girona for weeks training, and it downs, a week off the bike sick directly before the trip to Girona. The week off meant I went to Girona in a different frame of mind than originally planned. I was originally planning getting some long training rides in and throwing in some hard efforts on climbs towards the end of the rides to see how my durability was progressing after 4 or 5 hrs riding time. Unfortunately having been sick for 8 days leading into the trip and finishing medication on the day I travelled over, I had to change the goal of the training for the week to just getting steady endurance rides done and maybe some intensity at the end of the week. Anyway I've returned home from Girona and just completed the 2nd block of my plan which means another FTP test. It went ok not as well as I hoped. But there was improvement. The graph is still trending in the right direction. Remember trust the process!

So when I made the original post to this thread, I made an agreement with myself that I'd add to this thread after I completed each training block with it's accompanying fitness test (FTP test). So after the 3rd block of winter training, I've hit a little bump in the road. The week of the my FTP test I was very busy with work, which resulted in postponing the test on the scheduled day. I completed the warm up and began the test but I felt super fatigued and my body didn't respond at all to the effort. Within a couple of mins, I pulled the plug on the test. Looking back on it I shouldn't have attempted it. Jump forward 2 days, felt relatively normal again. Game on, time to test. Completed the test and emptied the tank. Did it feel good during the test? Not great, not as smooth as usual, cadence was lower then I'd usually expect. I can make all the excuses under the sun for the results not being what I was hoping for but I'm going look for positives instead. My result from the previous FTP was 364w for 20mins, I was aiming for 370-375w for 20mins. The result was 362w for 20mins. So I've basically hit the same figures as my previous test, ok 2w lower, but considering my condition (very fatigued) during the week of test I think I can be happy enough but not ecstatic. I've added the updated graph below. Onwards and upwards only 2½ weeks to wait to improve when I do the next text.

@Eric Grimes It is possible to patch tubeless tyres if the cut is in the centre of the thread using tubeless specific patches and tubeless patch cement. If the cut is on the side wall or shoulder of the tyre **Do Not Attempt To Patch Repair** the damage. The patches are not the same patches that you use on an inner tubes and the cement is not the same as the glue (vulcanising liquid) you use on inner tubes. The patches are called Rema Tip Top UP 3 Universal Patch or Rema Tip Top UP 4.5 Universal Patch depending on the size of the cut in the tyre. The glue is called REMA TIP TOP 'SC-BL' Special Blue Cement. Both are available in a kit called Rema Tip Top Tubeless Repair Kit TT13. It's critically important to follow the instructions to achieve a successful airtight safe repair. One again, if the cut is on the side wall or shoulder of the tyre **Do Not Attempt To Patch Repair** the damage.

@Malte Karsten from what I've read, sidewalls are thinner and more flexible (designed like that) and subject to more deformation when underload than the thread cap of the tyre. The thin and flexible sidewalls are subject to more forces which can effect the bond of the patch and adhesive. I wouldn't risk it especially on a road tyre.

@Anthony Walsh definitely was slippy. Ice on side of the road on the local climb that on coast. Never seen that much ice on it before.

@Matt Mcdonald excellent asset to have. I've got one myself going back to when I went to 1x originally 10yrs ago. Slightly different layout to yours. I've done it for 2x and 1x for specific cassette and chainring combos and also have meters of advancement which is the metric version of gear inches so it's easy to calculate speeds of each gear for a given cadence (rpm). At least I've found good a use for the engineering I did in college. 😁 It's worth noting that increasing tyre size, say going for a 28c tyre to 32c tyre, does effectively increase you're gear ratio.

@Mary H a full bike fit before buying the bike is the best option. If you have the option to do a one-on-one in person fit locally it's worth the additional cost and bit of inconvenience. If you're about to make a purchase for a significant amount of money, its easier to get sizing right before you buy the bike than having to buy replacement parts to to get the fit right having already spent on the new bikes.